Winding apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 26, 1965 IN VENTOR,

Hok/Ar@ A. MAYNARD De- 3, 1968 H. A. MAYNARD WINDING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 26, 1965 INVENTOK How/w@ A. MAYNARD www A thorn ey United States Patent Oce Patented Dec. 3, 1968 3,414,207 WINDING APPARATUS Howard A. Maynard, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (22 Elkhorn Drive, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada) Filed July 26, 1965, Ser. No. 474,652 11 Claims. (Cl. 242-56) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for winding a flexible web into rolls of a predetermined length having a reciprocal carriage which delivers a spool to a cluster of rollers which rotate the spool, a friction wheel to drive the web to the rollers, directing faces for guiding the end of the web onto the spool, a guillotine Which cuts off a predetermined length of the web and ejector for discharging a formed roll from the rollers.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for Winding flexible strip material on a core to provide a roll. More particularly the invention concerns the winding of a pliant web, strip of paper or the like on a core or spool and securing the outer end of the web from unwinding from the spool.

My invention also concerns automatic winding apparatus of this kind in which the web is printed, oiled or otherwise treated in the winding operation. A primary object of the invention is to provide a machine of the kind referred to which will automatically wind a flexible web into rolls of a predetermined length `and discharge them into a receiver, the web material being taken from a parent roll on an unwind stand or other support.

My invention also comprises a machine of the kind referred to in which the web is fed by a friction wheel to a guillotine which cuts off a predetermined length of the material to be wound upon a core, the friction wheel being automatically operated in timed relation to the guillotine and to the initial winding of the web on the core. The invention further comprises a machine in which a reciprocal carriage delivers a core to a roller form pocket for the winding of the material on the core received therein.

A highly important feature of my invention resides in the provision of a roller-formed pocket for receiving a core and having spaced lower rollers providing a seat for the core in serving to rotate the core in a winding operation in conjunction with an overhead roller which recedes as the roll enlarges. Another distinctive feature resides in the provision of guide faces co-acting with the rollers in carrying out the Winding operation, certain of the guide faces being provided by cams circumposed about the upper roller and pivoted to spread to accommodate the increasing diameter of the roll.

With these major objects in view, other objects and advantages will become apparent from the ensuing description and the accompanying drawings wherein there is illustrated a selected embodiment of the machine which has been found to be highly serviceable and eicient.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. l is a perspective view of the machine showing the web material wound on a core to form a roll of a predetermined diameter and having its outer end severed by the guillotine from the remainder of the` web and spotted with glue for securing the outer end as it is wound on the roll;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of FIG. 1 but show ing the finished roll removed from the roller-formed pocket and a fresh core being moved into the rollerformed pocket for the winding of a length of the web material thereon to produce another roll;

FIG. 3 is a detail in section of the roller head assembly depicting the final winding of the outer end of the web and the carriage in the act of moving to displace the finished roll and to place a fresh core in position for a winding operation;

FIG. 4 is a further similar View showing the finished roll in the act of being discharged from the roller head assembly, and a fresh web seated for the winding of the web material thereon;

FIG. 5 is a similar view to FIG. 4 but showing a core disposed to receive a length of the web material; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective detail of the forward end of the carriage showing the opening for receiving and advancing a core and also showing the structure of the ejector for discharge of the finished rolls.

Now referring to the drawings in greater detail the selected embodiment of the machine comprises a frame generally indicated at 10 which supports the various components and includes the legs 12 and bed 14 above which is a long narrow table 16 having an upper surface 16a upon which the web material rests and moves. The web material, indicated at 18, extends from a source of supply such as a parent roll (not shown) mounted on an unwind stand.

Guide means is provided on the table for the web and is shown as comprising spaced guide plates 20 there being two such plates extending longitudinally of the table toward the re-wind assembly 22 at the front end thereof. Side plates 20 are fastened on the table 16 and have off set inner flanges 20a which form opposing guide ways which receive the edge portions of the web and serve to guide the web as it is fed toward the re-wind assembly. The guide plates are adjustable to-and-away from each other as by fastening means indicated at 24 and this adjustment accommodates the width of the web material.

Frictional feeding means are employed to cause the web material to travel to the re-wind assembly 22 and the feed means, generally denoted at 26, is shown as comprising a continuously driven friction wheel 28 motivated by electric motor encased in the housing 30 and connected by leads 32 to a source of power, not shown. A belt-and-pulley drive 34 connects the motor 30 to the friction wheel 28, and the feed means is mounted upon a cantilever bracket 36 having a transverse fulcruming axis 38 in order that the friction wheel may rest upon the web for driving contact and may also be raised therefrom to sever the driving contact. The cantilever bracket 36 has at its opposite side of its tilting axis a counterweight 40 which counter balances the weight of the feeding means to a substantial degree so that the friction wheel may only rest lightly upon the web to a degree that a desirable frictional contact is established for feeding the web. Disengaging means is provided for the friction wheel and this will be dealt with later.

Now turning to the re-wind assembly 22, this comprises roller means for rotating a core and at the same time guiding the paper web material about the core as it gradually enIa-rges to its finished diameter in the Winding of a predetermined length of web material into roll form. The core is indicated at C and a supply of these is contained in a hopper (not shown) having a magazine 42 which receives cores in columnar forma-tion from which they are successively delivered by automatic delivery means D to the re-wind assembly as will later be recounted in detail. It will be understood that the cores are standard members of cylindrical shape commonly used in paper and like rolls and often referred to as spools.

The re-wind assembly comprises a plurality of rotatably mounted rollers disposed adjacent to each other to provide an intervening pocket P for receiving and seating a core for a winding operation whereby to form a roll. Means are provided for driving at least one of the rollers thereby imparting rotation to the seated core while directing means co-act with the rollers to guide the web material about said core during rotation.

The rollers comprise a pair of lower rollers 44, 46, horizontally -arranged and spaced to jointly support the core C between them in seated disposition. These rollers are suitably journalled in brackets 48 and the roller 44 has a shaft portion carrying a pulley 49 engaged by a belt 50 which is also trained over a pulley 52 carried on a jack shaft 54 having a belt-and-pulley drive 56 extending from a source of power, such as an electric motor (not shown). The companion roller 46 is also driven simultaneously as by an ordinary gear connection at the other end of the rollers. The rollers rotate clockwise and thus rotate the core resting thereon in a direction for winding the web material thereon.

A third roller is also employed and this is an overhead roller, indicated at 58, arranged parallel to the other rollers such that the rollers assume a triangular formation thereby providing the confining pocket P which receives the core delivered thereto. The upper roller 58 is also driven in clockwise direction synchronously and is mounted to rest on the core lightly so as to co-operate in rotating the core and also rotating the core along with the web material as it is wound thereon to form a finished roll. For this purpose the upper roller is yie1d ably mounted to rise as the web material is wound on lthe core within the pocket. This yielding action is necessary in order that the roller may accommodate gradual enlargement of the roll.

A vertically movable support 6 accommodates receding movement of the upper roller which is driven as by a pulley 62 having a belt connection 64 with said drive pulley 52. Said movable support comprises a cantilever arm 66 extending overhead and fulcrumed 0n an axis coinciding with the axis of shaft 54 and having side arms 68 in which shaft portions of the roller 58 are journalled.

Said rollers 44, 46 and 58 are supplied with aligned annular grooves as at 70 which are spaced lengthwise thereof. These grooves receive directing means for the web material and the directing means includes faces coacting with the rollers to guide the web material around the core in the rotation thereof. Said directing means comprises fixed means 72 in the form of upstanding members disposed between the adjacent lower yrollers 44 and 46 and received in corresponding grooves 70 thereof. These upstanding members terminate at their upper ends in directing faces 74 disposed to confront a seated core and preferably dished in order to defiect the material as it passes about the core from one lower roller to the other.

The directing means also include directing faces 76 which are adapted to recede as the web material winds on the seated core. Directing faces 76 are inwardly curved along substantially the diameter of the core and are conformable thereto and are shown as provided on cam devices 78 disposed at opposite sides of the upper roller 58. The cam devices are in the form of arms having inner edges which are curved to conform substantially to the diameter of the bottom of the grooves 70 and disposed to be received therein with their directing faces 76 disposed about the periphery of the core, as shown in FIG. 5. The pairs of cam arms are pressed together lightly by spring means such as the tortional spring indicated at 80. For this purpose the cams are pivotally mounted on a common pintle 82 at the upper side of the roller 58 which pintle is secured in the side parts 68 of the cantilever arm 66.

Accordingly it will be seen that the directing faces 76 are complementary to the directing -face 74 and cooperate therewith in guiding the web material about the core in the rotation thereof. Spring tension of the cam arms 78 allows them to expand as the web material builds up on the core, as indicated in FIG. 3. The cantilever arm 66 gradually rises as the web material builds up on the core and thus accommodates the forming of the roll on the core. A counterweight 84 is used to offset the weight of the cantilever arm and the components thereon to a substantial degree so that upper roller 58 may only lightly bear on the core seated in the rollerformed pocket P.

The automatic delivery means for feeding cores from the .hopper magazine 42 to the roller-formed pocket P comprises a carriage 86 which is disposed over the table 16 and is slidable thereon as by guides 88 which engage way portions 90 of the table. The carriage has a top surface 92 directly below the lower end of the magazine 42 which serves to retain the cores therein. At the front of the carriage there is provided a transverse slot 94 which receives a core when the slot is in alignment with magazine 42, such slot is open vertically and when a core is received therein it rests upon the upper surface of the table. The carriage is reciprocated to deliver a core and normally occupies a receded position in which the slot 94 is in register with the magazine as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 3. In a working stroke the carriage is moved frowardly a distance sufficient to drop the received core into the pocket between the two lower rollers 44, 46 as shown in FIG. 4, whereupon it recedes in a return stroke to the core-receiving position for recurrent operation. It will be noted that the table at its forward end is extended to partly overlie the roller 44 which precludes the core in the slot from dropping out prematurely. It will also be noted that the carriage is slotted as at 97 to receive adjacent cams 78.

A distinctive feature of the carriage structure is that it embodies ejecting means for a finished roll. The ejecting means comprises pusher plates 96 which extend inwardly from the ends 98 of the slot 94 for a short distance sufficient to abut a finished roll and to thrust it out of the roller-formed pocket and into a discharge chute 100-see FIGS. 4 and 5 in particular.

The means for reciprocating the carriage comprises rocker arms 102 pivoted intermediate of their length as at 104 on the bed portion of the frame and joined together at their lower ends by a cross member 106, the arms being arranged at opposite sides of the carriage. The upper ends of the arms are pinned to the carriage as at 108 and the connection includes slots 110 to accommodate the arc of swing. A spring acts on the cross bar 106 of the arms to yieldably urge the carriage to its fully receded position where it is limited against unwanted movement as by stop means (not shown).

Means for advancing the carriage in a working stroke is shown as comprising an air cylinder 112 having a piston 114 linked to the cross bar 106. Withdrawal of the piston advances the carriage in a working stroke and it is then returned by the spring.

The air cylinder 112 is controlled by a conventional valve including a solenoid valve having air lines 116 and 118, the latter lead to the source of compressed air (not shown). The solenoid valve has a cable connection 120 to a commercial electric supply source and has leads 122 to a microswitch 124 supplied with a Contact arm 126. The switch when actuated closes the circuit to the solenoid valve and this in turn effects the operation of the air cylinder and bring about a reciprocal movement of the carriage. The means for tripping the switch will be recounted shortly.

A guillotine is used to sever the web for providing a length of web lmaterial for winding on a core to produce the desired roll. The guillotine is located forwardly of the friction feed and comprises an ordinary frame 128 guidably containing a reciprocal blade 130 which has a lower cutting edge disposed across the web. The blade is tensioned upwardly by spring means 132 and is connected to an air cylinder 134 as by a piston 136. The air cylinder 134 is controlled by a solenoid valve 138 having a connection leading to the air lines 118 which extend to the source of compressed air.

An electric cable 140 connects the solenoid valve to the power supply and there is an interposed microswitch 142 controlling the actuation of the solenoid valve and supplied with a contact arm 144. The contact arm 144 lies in the path of movement of an extension bar 146 secured to cantilever arm 66 so as to be carried thereby.

According to this arrangement the contact arm 144 is disposed in the path of upward movement of the extension bar 146 such that the switch which is closed when actuated is tripped in the final upward movement of the extension "bar 146 which occurs coincidentally with the final winding of the web material on the roll which brings about operational action on the part of the guillotine. In the ascent of the guillotine blade the switch arm 126 of the microswitch 124 is tripped and the solenoid valve 114 is thereby energized but this solenoid valve has a delayed action which affords sutlicient time for the web material to completely wind on the roll and to make a few extra turns before the carriage is actuated in a working stroke to eject the finished roll and to deposit a fresh core in the roller-formed pocket P for another cyclic operation, the finished roll being ejected in the manner previously described. The finished roll gravitates down the chute 100 into a receiver where it is ready to be packed along with others. It will be -understood that a pin 150 or the like must be provided on the blade 130 of the guillotine in order to contact the arm 126 of the switch 124 so as to trip the switch in the ascent of the blade.

It should be also pointed out that the microswitch 142 is vertically adjustable on a support 152 which allows it to be set at different elevations for tine adjustment in tripping and also for allowing for setting for different lengths of material to be wound on a core.

Immediately upon the ejection of a finished roll and the insertion of a fresh core the cantilever arm 60 descends and allows the upper roller to contact the newly inserted core. The extension bar 146 has a linkage connection 154 with the cantilever support 36 of the friction feed wheel mechanism which brings about the descent of the friction wheel into feeding contact with the web material in the decent of the cantilever arms `66, and since the feed wheel is continuously rotating another material feeding operation takes place whereby the web material is fed to the roller seated core and commences to wind thereon. The winding of the web material initially on the core commences to raise the upper roller and thus elevates the feed wheel and brings it out of feeding contact with the paper. The guillotine then acts to sever the required length from the parent web and the severed strip is drawn forwardly as it is wound in the rotation of the core. The solenoid valve 138 is of the delayed action type whereby the severing of the web takes place in the desired sequential order.

The blade of the guillotine is supplied with paste tubes on each side thereof asA indicated at 160 which serves to spot the web material both in front and behind the -line of severance of the web material. From this it will be understood that as the cut strip is wound on a core the glue secures the outer end from unwinding. Also as the' we'b material is fed to a fresh roller a spot of glue at the leading edge secures it to the core in the initial winding operation.

It will be manifest from the preceding description that each operation is carried out automatically and in the proper cyclical sequence for the continuous production of rolls as the material is unwound from a parent roll on an unwind stand. The machine operates continuously without supervision until the web from the parent is exhausted and it is then a matter of replacing the parent roll with a fresh roll. Actually replenishment of cores etc. may be carried out while the machine is in operation. A battery of several machines can be attended to by one operator. A machine constructed according to the present invention may be tted with a conventional slitter assembly to permit a wide web to be slit into webs of a less width and rewound on cores for the production of relatively narrow rolls.

It will be manifest that various changes and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for winding a flexible web onto a cylindrical core to form a roll of the material comprising:

(a) at least three rotatably mounted rollers two of which being lower than the remaining roller, said rollers being disposed adjacent to each other to provide an intervening pocket for receiving and seating said core -for a winding operation, the lower two of said rollers provided with sets of aligned annular 4grooves at intervals along their length and spaced to jointly support said core and rotating in a Single direction;

(b) means for driving at least one of said rollers thereby imparting rotation to the seated core;

(c) directing means co-acting with said rollers to guide the web m-aterial about said core during rotation of said core, said directing -means including directing faces extending across the -grooves of the aligned sets, said directing faces held in position by fixed means disposed between said two lower rollers;

(d) said directing means further including cam devices having curved directing faces for guidably acting on said web;

(e) means for permitting at least one of said directing faces to recedey to accommodate gradual enlargement of the web roll; and

(f) means for feeding said web and delivering said core to the roller-formed pocket, and for discharging la formed roll from the roller-formed pocket.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which there is provided a third pocket-forming roller disposed above said pair of lower rollers and mounted to bodily recede as the roll enlarges; and in which said cam devices are at opposite sides of said third roller 'and have curved directing faces for confronting said core and yieldably pressed toward the same for guiding the web material therearound.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said third roller is journalled in a vertically movable support, and wherein all the rollers are simultaneously driven.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said third roller is journalled on a cantilever arm which is pivotally supported and which permits said third roller to gradually rise under influence of the gradually enlarging roll.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said cam devices at opposite sides of said third roller are depending jaws pivotally mounted at their upper ends and having curved inner surfaces between which said third roller is received, and also having said curved directing faces at their upper ends substantially conforming to the diameter of said core and yieldably pressed tow-ard said core.

6. Apparatus for winding a flexible web onto a cylindrical core to form a roll of the material comprising:

'(a) a plurality of rotatably mounted rollers disposed .adjacent to each other to provide an intervening pocket for receiving and seating said core for a winding operation;

(b) means for driving at least one of said rolls thereby imparting rotation to the seated core;

(c) directing means co-acting with said rollers to guide thebweb material about said core during rotation of said core;

(d) said directing means including cam devices having curved directing faces for guidably acting on said web;

(e) means Afor permitting at least one of said directing faces to recede to accommodate gradual enlargement of the web roll;

(f) means for feeding said web and delivering said core to the roller-formed pocket comprising feeding mechanism for cyclically feeding roller-forming lengths of web material to said roller-formed pocket .and delivery mechanism for cyclically delivering similar cores to said roller-formed pocket in required sequence for continuous output of rolls; said feeding mechanism comprising a driven friction wheel acting on the web material for advancing it to the rollerformed pocket and then releasing it as it begins to wind onto the core within the roller-formed pocket, and a cutter for severing a length from the web and located intermediate said friction wheel and said roller-formed pocket; and

(g) ejector means for discharging a formed roll from the roller-formed pocket automatically.

7. The ,apparatus of claim 6, wherein said friction wheel is continuously driven, and wherein said friction wheel is disengaged from feeding contact with the web material by automatic means motivated -b-y increase in diameter of the roll of material.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said pocket is formed in part by an upper yieldably mounted roller which rises as the web material is wound on the core within said pocket, .and wherein the rising movement of said upper roller resulting from increment in roll diameter is utilized to disengage said friction wheel.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said cutter includes a guillotine yblade which severs the web, and wherein said guillotine blade includes means for applying glue to the -wcb material closely adjacent to the line of severance.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said delivery mechanism comprises a bed, a carriage reciprocally mounted thereover in advance of said roller-formed pocket, means for reciprocating said carriage, means providing a transverse slot at the end of said carriage adjacent said roller-formed pocket, said slot opening vertically for receiving a core, a magazine disposed over said carriage and holding a column of cores, said carriage having a top surface which serves to normally support the column of cores, said magazine being so located that the bottom core of the column drops into said slot when said carriage reaches the end of a return stroke following a work stroke in which a core is delivered to said roller-formed pocket, means yprecluding a core dropping from said slot until said carriage reaches the end of its working stroke, and means on said carriage in .advance of said slot for pushing a finished roll out of said roller-formed pocket as said carriage approaches the end of its working stroke.

11. An apparatus of claim 6, wherein said delivery mechanism comprises a reciprocal carriage which receives a core Ifrom a source of supply and delivers it to the lrollerformed pocket in a working stroke in timed sequence to the feeding of the web material to the roller-formed pocket; said carriage being automatically `actuated and comprises .a front end which is provided with a corefreceiving slot which is vertically open, said carriage having a top surface extending rearwardly of said slot and serving to retain a column of cores in a magazine supported to extend upwardly from said carriage, and means for ejecting a finished roll from within said roller-formed pocket.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,031,066 2/1936 Ramsdell 242-55.l 2,037,348 4/ 1936 Stein 242-55.1 2,573,188 10/1951 Dyken 242-66 2,706,094 4/1955 Dyken 242-66 2,961,182 11/1960 Beerli 242-66 3,250,484 5/1966 Fair 242-66 WILLIAM S. BURDEN, Primary Examiner. 

